Research · 38+ benchmarks · Updated 2026-05-16

Time-to-Hire Benchmarks 2026

By industry, by role, by funnel stage, by region. Median time-to-hire across 38+ segments, each number sourced. Sourced from SHRM, Indeed Hiring Lab, LinkedIn Talent Insights, Josh Bersin Company, Korn Ferry, iCIMS, Bridge Group, and Gainsight.

TL;DR

Time-to-hire hit a record 44-day US median in 2024-25 (Josh Bersin Company, Indeed Hiring Lab) — up from 38 days in 2020. EU markets run 56-60 days; APAC and LATAM run 32-39 days. Tech and engineering roles run 50-60 days; retail and hospitality run 18-25. The single longest delay step is application-review → recruiter-screen, at a ~8-day median driven by recruiter capacity.

This page collects 38+ benchmarks segmented by industry, role family, funnel stage, and region. Sources: SHRM, Indeed Hiring Lab, LinkedIn Talent Insights, Josh Bersin Company, Korn Ferry, iCIMS, Bridge Group, Gainsight. Refreshed quarterly. Free to cite — please link back.

By industry

2024-25 medians from SHRM, Indeed Hiring Lab, and the Josh Bersin Company. Industry mix matters — tech and engineering-heavy industries run 2× the time-to-hire of retail/hospitality.

IndustryMedian time-to-hire (days)Driver
Technology / Software50Engineering interviews + multi-round technical loopsJosh Bersin Company · 2024
Life Sciences / Pharma58Regulated roles + credentialing overheadiCIMS Workforce Report · 2024
Financial Services48Compliance checks + multi-stakeholder interview loopsSHRM · 2024
Professional Services / Consulting42Case-interview cyclesIndeed Hiring Lab · 2024
Manufacturing / Industrial38Mid-pack — operational roles fill faster than corporateSHRM · 2024
Healthcare49Credentialing + background check delaysiCIMS · 2024
Retail / Consumer22High-volume hourly hiring — automation-friendlySHRM · 2024
Hospitality / Food Service18Highest-turnover sector — shortest hiring cyclesIndeed Hiring Lab · 2024
Education53Seasonal hiring windows + multi-tier approvaliCIMS · 2024
Government / Public Sector60Often hits 90+ days with security-clearance rolesOPM Workforce Data · 2024

By role

Specific role-level medians. Senior engineering and product roles consistently run the longest cycles; SDR and CS roles are among the fastest.

RoleMedian time-to-hire (days)Most common delay step
Software Engineer (mid)45Technical interview scheduling + take-home cycleLinkedIn Talent Insights · 2024
Senior Software Engineer60Higher candidate scarcity + competing offersLinkedIn · 2024
Engineering Manager65Multi-stakeholder interview loops + culture-fit emphasisKorn Ferry · 2024
Product Manager50Cross-functional interview panelsLinkedIn · 2024
Product Designer44Portfolio review + design exercise roundsLinkedIn · 2024
Account Executive32Strong candidate market; offers move fastBridge Group SDR Metrics Report · 2024
SDR / BDR22Among the shortest cycles — recruiter screening is the bottleneckBridge Group · 2024
Customer Success Manager35Strong CS supply; cycle limited by HM availabilityGainsight · 2024
Marketing Manager40Portfolio + culture-fit emphasisLinkedIn · 2024
Data Analyst / Data Scientist52Take-home challenge cycle adds 7-14 daysLinkedIn · 2024
Recruiter28Internal-team hires — informal-network sourcing winsSHRM · 2024
Operations Manager38Function-specific competencies extend interview loopsKorn Ferry · 2024
VP / Executive90Often 6 months for C-level; ~3 months for VP+Korn Ferry Executive Recruiting Trends · 2024-25

By funnel stage

Where the time actually goes. The recruiter screening stage is consistently the longest single delay — and the one most reducible with AI screening.

Funnel stageMedian days spentCommon cause
Open → first applicant3Job-board ramp + sourcing kick-offIndeed Hiring Lab · 2024
Application review → recruiter screen8Recruiter capacity / volume of inbound applicationsSHRM · 2024
Recruiter screen → hiring manager call5Calendar coordination + HM bandwidthLinkedIn · 2024
HM call → onsite / panel7Multi-stakeholder schedulingIndeed · 2024
Onsite → offer extended5Debrief + leveling + comp approvalSHRM · 2024
Offer → acceptance8Candidate negotiation + competing offersIndeed · 2024
Total median (2024)44Highest on record — up from 38 days in 2020Josh Bersin Company / Indeed · 2024

By region

Regional medians from LinkedIn and SHRM 2024. Western Europe runs longest due to notice-period norms; APAC tends to be faster for individual contributors.

RegionMedian daysDriver
United States44Reference 2024 SHRM baselineSHRM · 2024
United Kingdom38Slightly faster than US medianLinkedIn Talent Insights UK · 2024
Germany56Longer notice periods + multi-stage interviewsLinkedIn · 2024
France60Longer notice periods (1-3 months common)LinkedIn · 2024
India35Faster cycles + faster offer-acceptanceNaukri Hiring Outlook · 2024
Singapore39Mid-pack APAC; faster than EU averagesLinkedIn · 2024
UAE / Dubai42Visa-processing adds delay vs hiring-cycle medianLinkedIn MENA · 2024
Brazil32Among the fastest LATAM marketsLinkedIn LATAM · 2024

See how Raffi cuts the screening stage to hours.

The 8-day median application-review-to-recruiter-screen stage is where most of the funnel delay lives. Raffi calls every applicant within 24 hours of applying — in parallel. $25 starter credit.

Start free — $25 credit →Calculate your time-to-hire

Frequently asked questions

What is the average time-to-hire in 2024-25?
44 days — the highest on record according to the Josh Bersin Company and Indeed Hiring Lab. That's up from 38 days in 2020. Tech and engineering roles run 50-60 days; retail and hospitality run 18-25 days.
Which funnel stage takes the longest?
Application review → recruiter screen is the single longest delay step (~8 days median), driven by recruiter capacity vs inbound volume. This is the stage AI screening compresses most dramatically — from days to hours, by interviewing every applicant in parallel.
How does time-to-hire vary by region?
EU markets (Germany, France) run 56-60 days due to notice-period norms. US averages 44. UK 38. APAC markets (India, Singapore) 35-39. Latin America 32-35. Regional notice-period laws matter as much as recruiting efficiency.
How can I reduce time-to-hire?
The biggest single lever is the recruiter-screening stage — typically 25-40% of total time-to-hire. AI screening compresses this from days to hours. Combined with faster offer-stage decisions and pre-negotiated comp ranges, most teams can cut 20-40% off their total cycle.
What's the difference between time-to-hire and time-to-fill?
Time-to-hire measures days from when a candidate first enters the funnel (application or sourcing touch) to offer-accepted. Time-to-fill measures days from job opening (req approval) to offer-accepted — and includes the upstream req-approval and sourcing-warmup delays. Time-to-fill is usually 10-20 days longer than time-to-hire on the same role.
Are these numbers up to date?
Yes — this dataset was refreshed for 2026 using Q4 2025 reports from SHRM, Indeed Hiring Lab, LinkedIn Talent Insights, Josh Bersin Company, Korn Ferry, iCIMS, Bridge Group, and Gainsight. Refresh cycle is quarterly. The 'Updated' badge in the hero shows the latest refresh date.
How does AI screening change these benchmarks?
AI-screening adopters typically see the application-review-to-recruiter-screen stage drop from a median of 8 days to under 1 day, because every applicant gets interviewed in parallel rather than queued behind recruiter capacity. End-to-end time-to-hire drops 30-50% on roles where the screening stage was the bottleneck (high-volume roles like SDR, customer support, sales associates). On engineering or executive roles where take-home assignments and panel scheduling dominate, the savings are smaller (15-25%).
Can I cite these benchmarks?
Yes — please. Each row is tagged with its source. When citing in articles, reports, or presentations, link back to this page so source attribution stays visible. Suggested format: 'Raffi (2026). Time-to-Hire Benchmarks 2026. Retrieved from https://getraffi.ai/research/time-to-hire-benchmarks-2026'.